FIG. 1 schematically represents the upstream part of a turbofan engine 10 with a known design. This turbojet engine 10 comprises a fan 11 which rotates about a longitudinal axis 12 of the turbojet engine. The fan 11 generates an inlet air flow which is divided in a primary flow FP and a secondary flow FS. Conventionally, the primary FP and secondary FS flows circulate from upstream to downstream of the turbojet engine. The primary flow FP, which corresponds to the central part of the inlet air flow, passes through a low pressure compressor 13, and then (in a downstream part of the turbojet engine not represented in FIG. 1) a combustion chamber and a turbine. The secondary flow FS, corresponding to the peripheral part of the inlet air flow, externally bypasses the compressor 13, the combustion chamber, the turbine, and retrieves the primary flow FP at the outlet of the turbojet engine 10. The secondary flow FS thus provides part of the thrust of the turbojet engine 10, after crossing a ring 14 of fixed vanes which is disposed downstream of the fan 11. This ring 14 is commonly called an outlet guide vane (OGV), because it enables the secondary flow FS to be guided in order to limit spinning thereof.
The primary flow FP and the secondary flow FS are annular air flows channelled by the stator casing 16 of the low pressure compressor 13 and the outer casing 17 of the turbojet engine 10. To that end, the casings 16-17 have cylindrical walls or shells which can be inner or outer depending on their positioning with respect to the aerodynamic stream they delimit.
The primary FP and secondary FS flows are separated by a splitter nose 15, making up the upstream end of the stator casing 16. This splitter nose 15, more precisely represented in a longitudinal cross-section view in FIG. 2, is a metal, generally aluminum, piece, with a low thickness. It makes the junction between an inner shell 20 and an outer shell 21. The inner shell 20, called an OGV shell, delimits the inside of the aerodynamic stream in which the secondary flow FS circulates and supports fixed vanes of the outlet guide vane 14. The outer shell 21 delimits the outside of the aerodynamic stream in which the primary flow FP circulates. Like the OGV shell 20, the outer shell 21 can support one or more circular rows 22 of fixed vanes, for guiding the primary flow FP.
The splitter nose 15, as other metal pieces having a profile longitudinal cross-section, has been assembled by shrink fitting to the turbojet engine 10. Yet, it may be necessary to disassemble the splitter nose 15 in case of problems in the final assembly.
The extracting tool currently used to disassemble the splitter nose 15 has a steel claw which is positioned on a shoulder 23 arranged at one end of the nose 15, on the side of the OGV shell 20. The nose 15 is then extracted from the turbojet engine 10 by exerting on the claw a tensile force directed upstream of the turbojet engine 10.
This tool does not ensure a good grip of the splitter nose 15, which consequently can fall off the turbojet engine 10 and be deformed. Further, since the nose 15 is of a low thickness and of aluminum, which is a readily deformable material, the steel claw of the extracting tool damages the nose 15 at its catch point: the shoulder 23. Such an extracting tool also may damage the OGV shell 20 in close proximity with the shoulder 23 of the splitter nose 15.